Independence
by DonaldDouglasandToby6
Summary: Thomas has had enough of Rosie's annoyance and the Fat Controller sends her to the Brendam line. Can she find her own identity? (Note: This isn't a ThomasxRosie thing. I don't do those.)


Rosie is a pink tank engine who works at various yards across the Island of Sodor.

She looks up to Thomas and tries to copy everything he does, but this often annoyed Thomas.

One night, Thomas puffed into Ffarquhar Sheds, particularly grumpy.

"Bother that stupid pink engine!" he scowled.

"What do you mean? Was it that blasted Rosie again?" asked Percy.

"Yes, and I am getting sick of it! Why can't she go somewhere else and stop bothering me?" Thomas complained to the others.

"I say, this little pink one does sound rather annoying." said Daisy smugly.

"I'm sure she means well," replied Toby.

"She doesn't have to follow me around like a little sister though..." grumbled Thomas.

The next day, Thomas was at Knapford Station pulling passengers in Annie and Clarabel when Rosie chuffed alongside.

"Hello Thomas!" she whistled, "Where are you going?"

"To Ffarquhar, why?" asked Thomas suspiciously.

"Can I be your back engine?" Rosie asked hopefully, "I have nothing else to do."

Thomas was fuming.

"I don't need a back engine! I can take my two coaches just fine!"

The guard's whistle blew and Thomas bustled away.

Rosie was upset.

Toby and Henrietta were watching from the the other platform.

"Oh dear..." said Toby to himself as he puffed away, "I think she might need some advice..."

Later, Toby was talking to Rosie in the yard.

"I know it may be harsh how Thomas is treating you, but you can't follow him around when you have work to do," explained Toby.

"But he's my role model! He's brave, smart, optimistic... I wish I could be like that."

"You're your own engine," smiled Toby, "You'll find your own path someday."

"But... Thomas is my guide to finding that path... Isn't he?" Rosie asked.

"You're not Thomas. You're Rosie." puffed Toby, "It's high time you understood that."

"Can't I at least be _like_ Thomas?" wailed Rosie.

"I'm sorry Rosie, but that's not my decision." sighed Toby.

But Rosie wasn't so sure about the situation.

An hour later, Rosie was taking some milk tankers to the Docks.

The tankers were being troublesome.

"Hold back! Hold back!" screamed the tankers.

Rosie struggled for a few miles then finally gave up at Suddery.

"I can't take these tankers anymore! Constantly putting on their darn brakes... Oh, my wheels..." Rosie groaned.

"We'll have to get help; we can't pull this train on our own with these stupid tankers." said Rosie's driver.

"Ha ha!" laughed the tankers.

"Oh, shut up."

At Brendam Docks, Thomas was shunting trucks alongside Salty.

"It's nice to get some sea breeze," Thomas commented, "My branch line doesn't have sea air."

"Yes indeed me hearty. I'm so glad to work here beside the sea." chortled Salty.

Suddenly Thomas' driver's cell phone rang.

"Hold on," he said to the fireman and answered his phone.

"Rosie's in trouble? We'll be right over there." and he hung up.

"Come along Thomas; we've got a pink tank engine to rescue."

Thomas was not pleased.

"Bother that Rosie," he grumbled.

"Argh, ye better get going, matey!" called Salty.

Thomas sighed and puffed away to the rescue.

At Suddery, Bill and Ben were trying to get past Rosie.

"Come on pipsqueak, get moving!" cried Bill.

"I can't!" wailed Rosie.

"Why not? Have you broken down?" teased Ben.

"Technically no but..."

"Oh look, Ben! The lady's trying to be technical!"

"Hilarious, isn't it Bill?"

Rosie didn't think it was very funny just as Thomas puffed in.

"I'll get you to the Docks..." he grumbled.

"Thanks Thomas." said Rosie gratefully.

Thomas snorted.

"About time..." said Ben as the tank engine twins started their way towards the Clay Pits

At the Ffarquhar Sheds that night, the Fat Controller spoke to Thomas.

"Well done Thomas, you helped one of my engines once again."

Thomas grinned.

"Thank you sir."

The Fat Controller then turned to Rosie.

"I'm sorry sir, it's just that-"

"I understand Rosie, but I'm beginning to think this branch line isn't the right place for you." said the Fat Controller.

"W-what?"

"She follows Thomas around sir," interrupted Percy, "It's getting very irritating."

"I know, and that's why I'm moving her to the Wellsworth Branch." said the Fat Controller.

"What?! But Thomas is my role model!" cried Rosie.

"No I'm not, and go away!" shouted Thomas, "All you do is annoy everyone; especially me!"

"Thomas, that will do," scolded the Fat Controller, "Now Rosie, you will work at the Clay Pits with Bill and Ben."

"W-with Bill and Ben? Ooooh no..." Rosie moaned.

Thomas couldn't help but giggle as the Fat Controller drove away.

"Finally, some peace of my own." he whispered to Percy.

Luckily for Thomas, Rosie didn't hear him.

But nonetheless, she was upset as she slept that night.

Early the next morning, Rosie left the sheds and puffed along the Main Line.

"Well, this day won't end well," sighed Rosie.

"It's alright Rosie," soothed her driver, "All engines have to switch workplaces sometimes."

"I know," said Rosie unhappily, "But why do I have to go to a place where engines do nothing but tease?"

"There's Timothy and Marion at the Clay Pits; they don't tease." said the driver.

"...I don't even know who they are..."

"You'll soon find out then." chuckled the driver.

Soon she arrived at Wellsworth.

Edward was there with a passenger run.

"Hello there Rosie," smiled Edward kindly, "I'm guessing you're here to help with the Clay Pits."

"Yes," replied Rosie modestly.

"Well, watch out for the twins' tricks. They can take a lot out of you," reminded Edward.

"I already know that..." sighed Rosie and puffed on to the Clay Pits.

At the China Clay Works, Bill and Ben were shunting trucks for a train for Rosie to take to Brendam.

"I wonder when that blasted tank engine is supposed to come." snorted Ben.

"Now Bill and Ben, be nice." scolded Timothy, "I'm going with Marion to the back of the Pits. Don't do anything silly." and he puffed backwards.

The twins rolled their eyes when they could hear distant puffing, and it wasn't Timothy.

"Oooh there she is!" grinned Ben.

"Oh, hello Pinkie," joked Bill as Rosie arrived.

"Pinkie and no brain! Ha, that's a good one!" laughed Ben.

"That's not very nice," scolded Rosie.

"Oh, what, is the little lady afraid of joking around?" laughed Bill.

Rosie was furious and bumped Bill into some buffers.

"Hey, watch it!" cried Bill.

The manager arrived to tell Rosie her instructions, but was surprised to find Bill between the clay wall and Rosie.

"What is going on?" he asked angrily.

"Rosie pushed me, sir!" Bill whined.

The manager was not pleased.

"I expected more of you Rosie," he scolded, "I hope you do better with your train to the Docks."

"Yes sir, sorry sir," apologized Rosie.

She buffered up to the trucks and set off.

As Rosie made her way along the track, she felt empty inside.

"I just feel like I don't belong anywhere, and it's never my fault." she groaned to her driver.

"It could be worse," sighed the driver.

"How?" cried Rosie in despair.

"Well, Cranky could drop some crates on you when you get to the Docks."

"I suppose so," said Rosie, "But at least then I wouldn't have to work at the pits..."

She passed Suddery and soon made it to the Docks.

Salty and Porter were shunting for Cranky.

"Hey, you! The pink one!" scowled Cranky, "Get over here with your China Clay!"

"Of course," said Rosie bravely and she puffed over to him.

"Don't you have anything to do except not take up space?" mumbled Cranky.

"Argh matey, go easy on her. She only just arrived on the branch line." said Salty.

"Do you think I care, 'Mr. Pirate'?"

"Argh, that reminds me of a story..."

"Ugh!" fumed Cranky.

They unloaded the China Clay and Rosie puffed back to the China Clay Works, still slightly flustered from Cranky.

For the rest of the day, Bill and Ben played all sorts of tricks on poor Rosie.

At Wellsworth Sheds that night, Rosie was talking to the other engines.

"I just don't know, Edward. I just don't know what kind of engine I am."

"You'll find yourself one day," smiled Edward.

"That's what Toby told me..." sighed Rosie.

"You're homesick, aren't you?" asked BoCo.

"Yes, I'm afraid... I miss Thomas' Branch Line... I hope I find myself though, like you said."

"If you find yourself, send us a postcard," laughed Ben.

"Just be quiet, the two of you," said Edward crossly, "and let Rosie rest."

Bill and Ben behaved after that.

Rosie was impressed.

"How do you do that?" she asked.

"Just a gift I guess," chuckled Edward.

The next day, it was raining heavily.

Part of the China Clay Works was closed off due to precautions.

"The last thing we need is to be buried in clay," the foreman explained.

"We'll have to be careful," said Marion, "One wrong dig and the whole pits will come crashing down. It also depends on how you dig. Like, if you dig in that specific spot in that specific corner. The manner-"

"Oh, shut up with the digging," cried Ben.

Marion looked hurt.

"But it's digging! You can't say digging is bad!"

"We can say it's boring, that's for sure!" grumped Bill and the twins puffed away.

"Sorry about that," apologized Rosie.

"Oh, it's fine, they're just little rascals. Oh dear, this is embarrassing, I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Marion and you're... Rosie?"

"Yes."

"Oh, of course and that obviously means that-"

"Clear the pits! A landslide's coming! Clear the area now!" shouted a workman as he ran by as fast as he could.

Marion, Rosie, and Timothy were surprised.

"What? Oh no, we better get out of here!" cried Timothy.

Marion, Timothy, and the men quickly scurried out of the clay pits, but Rosie was worried.

"I think someone's missing..." she said to herself, "I saw the manager, the workmen, Timothy, and Marion..."

Suddenly she realized who were missing.

"Where are Bill and Ben?!" she asked her crew.

"I don't know, but we best find them." said her driver.

"Right! We'll find them!" and Rosie puffed backwards.

Meanwhile, deeper in the pits, Bill and Ben were waiting for their trucks to be filled.

"Ugh, how much longer?" grumbled Ben.

"If I'm late, it's your fault." sneered Bill.

Suddenly Bill's driver leaned out of the cab and shouted...

"We're nearly out of water!"

"I thought it was your job to check the water gauge." grumbled the fireman.

"Uh..."

Just then, they heard a loud rumbling sound.

"Uh oh... That's bad." said Bill.

"We have no more water!" cried Ben's driver.

"And who's fault is that?" asked Ben.

Rosie puffed in.

"Rosie! Thank goodness!" said Bill. "Come on, lets get you two out of here. There's a landslide coming!" said Rosie as she was coupled up.

She puffed forwards as fast as her wheels would let her.

Rocks started piling up on the tracks as the landslide came closer and closer to the brakevan.

"Faster!" yelled the guard.

Rosie pumped her pistons as she raced out of the China Clay Works.

They soon arrived at Suddery, where Edward, Marion, and Timothy were waiting.

"Thank goodness you're all alright," said Edward.

"Well done!" agreed Timothy.

The Fat Controller was especially pleased.

"Well done Rosie! You proved yourself to be an Enterprising Engine to my fleet!"

"See? You didn't need to be in Thomas' shadow after all. You are your own engine." said Edward, and Rosie knew he was right; she was her own engine, and while she would always look up to Thomas, she learned that two engines are completely different.


End file.
